


Wild Open Space

by monkiainen



Category: Harry Potter - Fandom
Genre: Altered Mental States, Best Friends, Cruciatus, Gen, Insanity, Sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-16
Updated: 2014-09-16
Packaged: 2018-02-17 15:15:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2314091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/monkiainen/pseuds/monkiainen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>A long time ago, we used to be friends</i>. Minerva misses her best friend terribly. It has been so long, so long.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Wild Open Space

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Saturday Special in [](http://hh-sugarquill.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://hh-sugarquill.livejournal.com/)**hh_sugarquill**

Minerva does not like to dwell on the past. What has happened, has happened for a reason. Still, there are times when she wonders if there is any fairness left in life.

She remembers Alice as the young, carefree woman she was at Hogwarts. She was tender and loving, and sometimes Minerva wondered why the Sorting Hat chose to place her to Gryffindor instead of Hufflepuff for she would have fared well there. However, given what eventually became of Alice, it was all very fitting. The Sorting Hat always knows what it is doing.

Minerva takes a look at the photo of the Order she is holding, and sighs audibly. Oh how young they all were back then. And how few of them are left anymore, after all is said and done. Alice would be better off dead than she is now, tortured to insanity, not remembering who she is. The worst thing of it all is that she has no idea that she has a son, who has grown up to be a decent young man. Neville is a son any mother would be proud of. He showed such great courage in the times of despair, just like his parents. He is so much like Alice in many ways it makes Minerva’s heart burst with pride and sadness in equal measures.

Minerva misses Alice so much it hurts. What started as a teacher-student-relationship eventually turned into a deep friendship between the two truly magnificent witches. They complemented each other; where Minerva was stern, Alice was understanding. Minerva excelled in Transfiguration, and Defence Against The Dark Arts was Alice’s strong point. Together they were unstoppable, a force of nature. It was no surprise they were often paired together for missions, as their friendship made them all more stronger. They were often underestimated, and they used it as their advantage. Sirius once joked he would not want to be a Death Eater facing them in a battle, because he would most certainly lose.

Minerva remembers the long-winded, completely random conversations she and Alice used to have. They could range from anything between Quidditch and using Firewhiskey in cooking, sometimes resulting in uncontrollable laughter. Frank would just roll his eyes and tell them he would come back home once they would stop acting like “empty-headed teenage girls on a LSD trip”. Minerva tried always to look her sternest, but one look to giggling Alice and she knew she was lost. Minerva would do anything to have her friend back, even for a while. She hasn’t felt that strong a connection with anyone ever since.

When Neville was born, Alice asked her to become the boy’s godmother. Minerva proudly accepted – she didn’t think she would ever have children of her own, and she would spoil the boy rotten in the years to come. If she could beat Augusta to it, of course. That woman was infuriating, much like she had been when she was a Hogwarts student. But Minerva had some tricks up in her sleeve so to speak.

Then the most horrid thing happened, and just like that, Alice was taken away from her. Not dead, no, that would have been merciful. No. Bellatrix, Rodolphus, Rabastan and Bartemius Jr. took her Alice away from her forever and turned her into an empty shell. Minerva has never felt such rage towards anyone, not even Lord Voldemort, when she found out the dreadful truth. They deserved everything that was done to them in the war. Karma has its way. Sometimes, when she can’t sleep at nights, Minerva wonders how it would have been like to be the one to deliver the Killing Curse on Bellatrix. It’s probably the best she wasn’t the one to do it.

For the longest of time, Minerva couldn’t bear the thought of visiting her godson. Neville reminded her so much of what was lost. She is ashamed of her actions back then, but she can’t change the past. Minerva can only try to make things better between her and Neville now that she has been able to move on. Maybe one day she can truly forgive herself for not being there for Neville when he was a child.

Those days of friendship and laughter feel so far, far away. Still they are her happiest memories, and whenever Minerva needs to conjure her Patronus she thinks of Alice and their time together. The friendship bond between them was _(and to some extent, still is)_ so strong it enables her to conjure three Patronuses simultaneously. Minerva has never shared that particular information with anyone, although she thinks Albus must have had his own suspicions.

Minerva visits Alice every other month, even if the idea of going to St. Mungo’s gets harder and harder each time. Still, it’s her best friend, her other half _(“the better half”, she tells herself)_ and she would be so lost without her. In a way, she is lost, because nothing can bring Alice back the way she used to be. Minerva was the anchor, but Alice is the ship, and without the ship the anchor is just dead weight in the bottom of the ocean. Alice does not know who she is – she only knows Minerva as the nice lady who combs her hair and gives her pretty needlework of cats. Minerva sometimes wishes that their roles could be switched.

There is not a single day when Minerva does not mourn for her best friend, still alive but gone forever. Sure, Minerva has friends, such as Pomona or Filius or Hagrid, but they are not the same. None of them can ever truly understand her the way Alice did. Those days are forever gone, only existing in her memories.

There is a Muggle saying: “What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.” Minerva doesn’t believe it the one bit. Surviving the continuous Cruciatus Curse but losing your mind in the process does not make one stronger. It’s total rubbish, but then again, most of the Muggle sayings are. They know nothing of the sacrifices the proud members of Wizarding World have done in their behalf.


End file.
